Ownership and trading of certain valuable assets, such as antiques, artworks, or collectibles, traditionally have been the privilege of a group of well-off members of the society. The high value of such assets and the fact that they are often physically indivisible may prevent an ordinary person from investing in such assets. Substantial knowledge may be required for one to make educated decisions regarding investment in such valuable assets, such as to discern an authentic item from a counterfeit or to assess the market value of an item. The knowledge requirement also makes investment in such valuable assets unviable for many. Furthermore, trading of the valuable assets is usually facilitated by a number of exchange institutions (e.g., auction houses). The market availability of the valuable assets and information about characteristics thereof are often released at the liking of individual exchange institutions. Transactions involving the valuable assets often highly depend on the credibility of the exchange institutions as they may have exclusive control over records of the assets and their transactions. Also, coordination among various exchange institutions may often be difficult due to a lack of communication channels.
A blockchain may comprise a growing list of records contained in linked blocks and secured by cryptographic techniques. Each block of a blockchain may contain transaction information, account information, information about one or more previous blocks, and other related information. A blockchain may be implemented in a peer-to-peer network comprising a plurality of blockchain nodes adhering to a protocol for inter-node communication, transaction or block validation, and consensus formation. Blockchain provides a way to create and maintain permanent records and make the records accessible to a plurality of parties.